Mail Call - Jan. 25

January 25, 2012

“I am sick and tired of the Republican candidates campaigning to put President Obama back in the White House for a second term; all of their bickering and finger pointing, digging up things that happened 15, 20 years ago. All of this just fuels the fire of the left-wing media. Instead of debating gay rights, contraceptives and someone’s dog on their car roof, they should be telling us how ... American corporation. Also, they should be telling us they will build the pipeline from Alaska and start major oil drilling, to send a message to the foreign oil fat cats that we will not be dependent on them.”

— Hagerstown

“To the person who called in about only seeing nurse practitioners and not a physician: Just be thankful your doctor’s office has nurse practitioners. They take care of people better than the doctors do. And I wish my gastrointestinal doctor had a nurse practitioner, because I made an appointment for three months after the day I called, and then they called when the appointment was almost ready and said that he wouldn’t be in the office that day, and scheduled it for three more months later.”

— Clear Spring

“I live in Washington County, I don’t live in a town. I want to thank The Herald-Mail for running Mail Call. It’s a great place for us old folks who don’t have a computer, that don’t know how to blog, and don’t have cellphones and don’t know how to text. We can call in to Mail Call.”

— Washington County

“Again, the county and state (are) closed for a holiday. Seven paid holidays in the last 45 days. This is more than some companies give their employees in a year. Obviously, there are too many employees for the state and county. Let’s give the taxpayers a break, and get rid of half of these employees.”

— Hagerstown

“You know, it’s a shame that we can’t have a debate without somebody bringing race into the issue. Reading the Leonard Pitts article, ‘South Carolina wages war on poor,’ because they don’t want people voting without an identification of some sort, well, I’m sorry, but that’s part of the problem with our voting process now. Over the last few decades, it’s become unreliable. If you can’t prove you’re a citizen, you shouldn’t ... of course, and he injects race into the whole thing. Has nothing to do with race. There are just as many poor white people that don’t have identification. Spend five bucks a year and get an ID. Be an American.”

— Hagerstown

“Those politicians and community leaders at the secret Fountain Head meeting, and your editorial writers who threaten that if we don’t support the gas tax increase, you won’t get our roads repaired, think we have a short memory. That’s always the justification, and as soon as the TTS starts filling up, the legislature raids it, and most of what’s left gets paid on mass transit boondoggles, and neither we nor the county that supported the increase get needed new infrastructure, or even existing roads, etc., fixed. With million-dollar deficits and no sign the legislature will change its profligate ways, anyone who thinks that won’t happen again is living in fantasy land.”

— Frederick, Md.

“This is on proposed gas-tax hike. This is on Sunday morning’s Opinion page, from Cliff Lane from Black Rock. Sir, I agree with this piece you put in the paper 100 percent. It’s no time to be raising the gas tax or any other kind of tax here in Washington County or the state of Maryland. I’m with you 100 percent. We need to drive to West Virginia or Pennsylvania. We need to show these ... and this is on juvenile crime declining since early 90s. I don’t know where you get this at, because juvenile crime is on the rise. You just need to go someplace and find out where it’s at.”

— Hagerstown

“Raising gas prices and emission to $28, registration fee to $300, have no effect on our rich leaders. We pay for theirs. Ask Bartlett how long has it been since he pulled up to a gas pump and pumped his own gas, and paid for it? They have $46 for food a day. Pack your lunch, like we do. Find cheaper hotels and motels. You don’t need $288 a night.”